Shopsmith Forums

It is spec'd to have 13 layers. A good indication that it qualifies as baltic birch. It is patched which may be the reason they can (must) reduce the price. It would certainly be good enough for my projects. Wish there was a Menards nearby.

Tis 18mm, not 3/4"(all too typical nowdays ).

I've order things from menard's and while the shipping might be free they get you like this:

Additional Packaging/Handling Charges May Apply.

I got an idem last fall and paid an extra $13 for them to pack it on a pallet and cover it with some plastic. So take the free shipping as only part of the equation.

I was able to find a sheet of this material at a simi-local store a few years back and at the time is was only $56. I guess like anything else the prices keep going up. I was in the store pricing the "cheap" plywood and it looks like I will be paying about $40 a sheet for that. So again not all jigs need to be made out of $78 plywood.

Ed

PS I just went back to see if any local stores stock it and none do, went out 100 miles so perhaps I just got lucky before.

JPG wrote:Tis 18mm, not 3/4"(all too typical nowdays ).

I don't think you will find any of this at 3/4" after all it is metric from a metric county.

18mm is the reason you buy special router bits in 23/32 to get it to fit right.

What bugs me more is things like hardboard that say 1/4" and is really 3/16", I mean that is not even close. It is really 5mm but they seem to forget to mention it. So why is that such a pain, well if you have router guide bushings that have a barrel length of 7/32 they don't work with 3/16" materials....

Ed

reible wrote:

JPG wrote:Tis 18mm, not 3/4"(all too typical nowdays ).

I don't think you will find any of this at 3/4" after all it is metric from a metric county.

18mm is the reason you buy special router bits in 23/32 to get it to fit right.

What bugs me more is things like hardboard that say 1/4" and is really 3/16", I mean that is not even close. It is really 5mm but they seem to forget to mention it. So why is that such a pain, well if you have router guide bushings that have a barrel length of 7/32 they don't work with 3/16" materials....

Ed

I have no problem with metric stuff being so. It is the loose use of close 'imperial' dimensions in the description.

If it is 18mm do NOT refer to it as 3/4".

If it is 12mm do NOT refer to it as 1/2".

Yes referring to 3/16" as 1/4" is just plain lying! Otherwise it is -25% tolerance!

5mm? Even 6mm is still too small!


GRRRRR!

BuckeyeDennis wrote:Menards also sells 4x8 sheets of Baltic Birch plywood. I don't think the stores stock it, but they will ship it to your local store for free. Here's a link to the page for the 3/4" version.

Click the Technical Specifications link on that page for details about the product. It appears to me to qualify as real Baltic Birch. I haven't bought any of it yet, so I can't speak to the quality. But the price is certainly attractive.

If anyone tries it, please let us know what you think.

I agree it appears to be Baltic Birch. The difference is the face grades. All of the 5' X 5' sheets that I have seen/bought are grade A on both sides (AA). These sheets are grade B on one side and grade C on the other (BC). Nothing wrong with that if you can use the lesser grade. FWIW the MSDS names it "MULTIPLY BIRCH PLYWOOD UNDERLAYMENT". Hence the lesser grade I guess.

The price seems to be a little high. A 5' X 5' grade AA sheet here is $58.68 which is approximately 2.35 Sq. Ft. The Menards price for grade BC is approximately $2.44 Sq. Ft.

I agree JPG. The metric stuff is a pain. I have the grizzly router bit set to match the respective thicknesses for the metric ply but it still complicates layout etc. here in Orange County Ca we have a supplier that stocks both the metric and standard thicknesses. The difference is the standard ply is in 4X8 sheets which simplifies things a little. The stuff is always pricey but it is such a great product where strength and stability are needed. I love the 1/2" for drawer sides for shop fixtures.
Paul

When I make jigs, I simply go to my left over woodpile and use whatever is there. Most of my jigs are made out of oak veneered plywood simply because most of the wood in my scrap pile is oak plywood.
There is no need to think it any deeper than whatever scrap wood you have on hand.

garys wrote:There is no need to think it any deeper than whatever scrap wood you have on hand.

My particleboard jig respectfully disagrees with you.

A little while ago, I found a slick jig design for routing dadoes to fit arbitrary material thicknesses, using a standard pattern bit. The attached PDF describes it.
I started building one, but the honey-do list, teenagers, etc. have so far conspired to keep me from finishing it. It looks very simple. But once I started thinking about how I would clamp it to my workpiece atop a workbench, how much clearance is required for my router base, etc., it was not trivial. That said, once I get those details worked out, I don't see how it can fail to work as advertised.